Chiropractic Care Proven To Reduce Symptoms

An NPO known as the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress made a recent announcement that chiropractic treatment has demonstrated its ability to relieve the chronic and debilitating symptoms of pain, fatigue, and joint stiffness that attends fibromyalgia. While the condition remains controversial because of the difficulty in applying diagnostic standards to the diffuse symptoms, fibromyalgia is responsive to various treatments. Chiropractic treatment is growing in popularity with fibromyalgia sufferers because it tends to bring on a dramatic reduction in the pervasive and chronic pain that comes with the condition, allowing millions of patients a chance for better quality of life.

Reduce Fibro Pain

Spokesperson for the foundation, Gerry Clum, D.C., and president of Life Chiropractic College West University, states that, “Fibromyalgia involves turmoil of the central nervous system, yielding a situation known as central sensitization, which causes heightened nervous system responses. Overall health and wellness is affected by an individual’s nervous system, an area in which chiropractors are proficiently trained to address, making chiropractic care a viable option for fibromyalgia patients.”

While researchers look for a better (read scientific) explanation of the condition, the chiropractor uses his hands to adjust any misalignments of the pelvis and spine. As a result of chiropractic care, joint motion is improved, so that many fibromyalgia sufferers find their pain dissipates and may even be eliminated. The pain seems to be the key: once the pain has been managed, the myriad symptoms seen with fibromyalgia, for instance depression, chronic fatigue, and sleep disturbances, tend to lessen or even evaporate. When that happens, fibromyalgia patients can return to their normal lives.

First Female General

A great example of this is seen in retired Brig. Gen. Becky Halstead, who suffered from fibromyalgia at the time she served in Iraq where she was the U.S. Army’s first female general to hold a command. “The adjustments and nutritional advice I received from my chiropractor helped in treating the fibromyalgia and made me feel better on a day-to-day basis,” claimed Halstead, a West Point graduate who has been urging that access to chiropractic care become a given for all U.S. soldiers. “Personally, I hope someday that chiropractic care becomes part of all our military’s healthcare programs, so that all soldiers can have the opportunity to benefit from the care that only a doctor of chiropractic can provide.”

There is a known association between PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), a condition common to soldiers, and fibromyalgia. For now, chiropractic care can be obtained at 25% of all U.S. military treatment centers.